Bellator 98's Joe Warren sees Kirk as 'just a body in the way of the belt'

Most 36-year-old MMA fighters are likely thinking of an exit strategy to make a successful departure from the sport, but former Bellator MMA champion Joe Warren isn’t most fighters.

Instead, Warren (8-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) is preparing himself for another run up the bantamweight ladder toward the championship belt he once called his own.

On Saturday, Warren is scheduled to return from the longest layoff of his career to face the unheralded Nick Kirk (10-2 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) in a 135-pound tournament quarterfinal bout at Bellator 98, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.

The matchup is Warren’s first step toward reclaiming a title, and while Kirk is a tough opponent who has never been finished in his career, Warren simply views “The Big Hurt” as a stepping stone to the top.

“I see him as just a body in the way of the belt,” Warren told MMAjunkie.com. “I don’t really see him as a person, I just see him as something between me and the belt, and I’m just really focused on technically being as solid as possible and being me.

“I haven’t really sat back and worried about this Nick Kirk at all. I’ve been really focused on my techniques and my training. I’m not really worried about what he’s going to do and we’ll see if he can stop me.”

During his time off, Warren hasn’t been sitting idly by gathering rust. He’s served as a coach on the first season of Bellator’s “Fight Master” reality competition, working opposite fellow head coaches Randy Couture, Frank Shamrock and Greg Jackson.

While Warren was unable to advance any of his team members to the final round of the show, he admits to taking a lot away from his coaching stint, particularly a newfound sense of motivation after being surrounded by a group of hungry prospects.

“‘Fight Master’ put a little spark back in my step,” Warren said. “It put me in a perspective where I’m at in my life right now. I’m a stud and still am, but it kind of put things in perspective and pushed me. I’m going to make one more push at this belt and win this belt for Bellator.”

At Warren’s age, making it through the Bellator tournament format of three bouts in a three-month span is going to be a physically taxing process to say the least.

After a lengthy amateur wrestling career, Warren is used to competing on a frequent basis. But he is aware his physical limits are constantly changing and knows he must be careful both in training and in fights if he has any hopes of running the gauntlet.

“I’m the battle-tested warrior wrestler who can compete as many times as I need too, but let’s be real,” Warren said. “Bellator is the toughest tournament in the world. You have three fights in three months, and it is really tough as an athlete to be able to stay healthy through that or even just stay all prepared for that.

“I’m extremely confident and excited to get the opportunity to keep pushing, but that tournament is definitely tough, there’s no way around it. And if you want a belt in Bellator, you’ve got to fight in a tournament to get it. I would rather just fight one fight and go for the title – that would be a lot better for me. But I’m in an organization where you need to win to get a chance. You can’t just open your month and talk to get title fights.”

If talking trash could earn title fights in Bellator, there’s no doubt Warren would be on deck for a shot at the gold each time he competed.

The American is never hesitant to talk himself up in the media, which is exactly why he goes by the nickname “The Baddest Man on the Planet.”

Two knockout losses in his past three trips to the Bellator cage may take some of the luster away from that nickname, but Warren assures fans he is still very much an opponent to fear.

With a crossroads fight on the horizon, the former Olympian claims all the meaningful aspects of his life are finally in line and he is ready to deliver his strongest run of performances ever en route to becoming the first two-time Bellator titleholder.

“I believe that I’m the baddest man on the planet,” Warren said. “Right now, physically and mentally, I’m the baddest I’ve ever been in my life. I believe now I’m at this comfortable bantamweight, I believe my life’s good, my family’s good. I’m in a good place mentally, physically and financially. Now the only thing on the table is to push as hard as I can and go out there and impress everybody.

“I believe there’s no one that can stand in front of me in this country. You’re going to see everything in the world that you’ve wanted to see. The ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’s’ going to be breaking out again and blowing up on Spike TV.”

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